To think that it’s impossible to have a 6pm family dinner time?

Did you have evening clubs as a child though? I didn't, and although I understand the advantage of extra curriculars I don't think I would prioritise them over family evenings together on a school night, rushing about every day after work sounds exhausting!

I work 4 days a week 9.15 till 4.45 from the office but only a 15/30 mins commute home.

My DH works 5 days a week, sometimes from home or sometimes from the office but works earlier shifts.

Our ds is 5 and currently doesn't do any weekday clubs.

We usually sit down between 5/6pm for tea each night and we've done it this way for a few years now.

It could well change soon as ds maybe takes up clubs or we get different jobs etc, but for now it works really well and we enjoy it.

I work pt so 6pm works, although I have to do a lot of pre-prep. It'll be harder this year because DD has her dance class 5:30-6:30pm this year.

6pm also makes sure DH comes home on time & not faff around at work, then eat while I'm dealing with DC & cleaning up. My way he eats with us & has to get off his phone to help out.

My DM serves dinner at 5pm!

Different people have different jobs and different commitments - of course the same timings don't work for all families.

My younger ones only do after school clubs at school (finished by 4.40) and my older one only does one club, and that's not until 7.30. Normal day, I get home with the kids at 5, and get the dinner ready, husband is usually home about 5.45/6 and then we all eat together. Works perfectly for us!

And we do sup around 8pm. Bagels, scones, pancakes, porridge etc. Something light. Doesn't involve cooking that's the main thing 😂

Lunch any time between 11 and 12noon

Breakfast 6.30am

No we eat when hungry not usually all together.

Impossible for me. DH isn't even near being home by 6pm and DD works shift hours, usually finishing near 8pm-9pm. We rarely eat together as a family unfortunately.

We all eat about 8pm. When the kids were little they'd eat earlier but DH and I would never eat at 6. I don't think I know any adults that do.

100% yes families these days are rushing about… but you don’t have to. We don’t do weekday after school activities. DH and I both have stuck with fully remote jobs so we don’t rush around for a commute. We have a from scratch meal every night at 5:30, unless we’ve chosen to go out for a meal. Pick DC up from school at 4.

I’d need another meal before bed! What time do you have lunch?

Why does it have to be at 6pm? We all eat together, but not at 6pm.

We generally eat at 6 in the week, it's later on weekends oddly.
I work in a school so am home for 4.30 usually, there's the odd day where we have to work round something that the DC are doing, DH isn't always home but just gets his when he gets in -this is rare though.

My kids go to bed at 7! We get in at 6! So mostly I just give them some food and it’s straight into bedtime for us

I eat after they go to bed

impossible for us and I feel bad about it. But H isn’t home until 7-8pm, when I work I get home at 6, after picking up kids from after school club. Kids eat together and we eat later. Sundays we eat together (H also works Saturdays)

Why does it have to be 6? Just find a time that roughly works for everyone and be prepared to move it half an hour or so either way on some days. And plan what you eat so you don't waste time thinking about what you can throw together in the time available.

I'm usually in my jammies at 6pm! No way do I want to be fannying around in the kitchen.

I'm an OU student part time and SAHM though so lucky to set the meal early. Supper any time between 6 and 9pm depending on ages of DC.

I was a SAHM, but DH never got home before 7pm and that was only if the trains were behaving. So when the DCs were small I gave them dinner at about 5.30 and DH and I ate together once they were in bed.
As they got older we did try to eat together, but they often were needing to be out for clubs before DH was home, so still didn't really work.
I was a child in the early 70s and we never ate an evening meal with parents until secondary school - again my dad was at the mercy of British Rail, and was never home in time.

It's nice to eat all together, earlier rather than later, but if lifestyles don't align, then don't worry about it.

Pre-DS, we used to get home any time from 6.30 onwards, so rarely sat down to eat before 7.30.

When DS was small I was a SAHP, and I tended to eat with him most of the time, around 5.00ish. He liked a play in the bath before bed and bed was generally 6.30 p.m.

Time evolves, now DH and I are WFH, DH usually finishes around 5.30, so dinner is aimed for about 6.00. DS now works nights, so he doesn't want his dinner at 6.00 as he is just getting up. Sometimes he joins us at the table, but with a bowl of cereal. He usually eats his dinner when he gets home in the morning - and I often join him at the table. So he is eating lasagne, or whatever, and I have my morning cuppa.

It's whatever suits your family 🙂

Slow cooker meal days yes, anything else is 7 😂

Dh is in the office three days a week and doesn't get home until 7ish, so we try to have a later dinner at least one of these days to eat with him. Mainly as I work really late twice a week (opposite days to dh), so we don't get to sit as a family on those evenings, so I feel it's important to try and have at least a few of evenings a week where we eat together. If we both wfh we would sit down for dinner at 6ish most evenings so I can see why families that work at home do this. Would love to!

YANBU - it's impossible for us so we eat at 4pm.

Not every day. Monday - Wednesday can be any time between 7 & 8.30pm. Thursday and Friday I wfh though, so can throw something in the slow cooker so that we can eat between kids music lessons & my music rehearsal /sons scouts. Then it's usually between 5.45 & 6.15pm.

neither DH or I are hungry then.
when kids were little they’d eat at 5pm and then we’d eat at 8. (DH wasn’t back until 7.45 anyway)
Now we all eat at 7.30.